Abigail Todhunter-Reid, PhD

Biography

After working for five years in the field as an educator, I knew I wanted to dedicate my career to conducting research on programs designed to improve the lives of children.

I earned my Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 2017 and subsequently returned to the applied field as a Harvard Strategic Data Project Fellow where I was placed as an Evaluation Specialist with the School District of Palm Beach County. It was in this role that I learned how to balance methodological rigor with the practical constraints of applied work to produce actionable evidence.

I now conduct rigorous applied research that supports organizational leaders in evaluating programs, determining ROI, and establishing systematic data practices. Throughout my research career, my work has focused on identifying programs that reduce racial and economic disparities in a wide range of outcomes including post-secondary readiness and success, literacy, infant and maternal mortality, and access to high speed broadband. I also have a passion for motivation theory and social-emotional learning.

Accomplishments

  • Conducted a mixed methods evaluation of a state-wide doula program designed to reduce Black infant and maternal mortality.

  • Created a streamlined protocol to efficiently conduct cost-effectiveness research in the 11th largest school district in the U.S.

  • Wrangled proprietary and publicly available data to create a comprehensive database used to map broadband deserts in rural Ohio.

  • Conducted a process evaluation to determine how tutors can be leveraged most successfully in elementary school classrooms.

  • Used predictive analytics to identify students most in need of intervention to increase the return on investment of a college outreach program.

  • Conducted an outcome evaluation of a summer reading program that led to program adjustments and improved student outcomes the subsequent year.

  • Taught organizational leaders how to interrogate and interpret research findings to make informed decisions about curriculum adoption.

Education

Ph.D., Childhood Studies, Concentration in Research Methods, Defended Dissertation with Distinction, Rutgers University

B.F.A., Visual Art, Ohio University

Select Publications & Presentations

  • Barriers and Facilitators for Mental Health Service Use Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Literature. (2021). Frontiers in Public Health.

  • AVID Participation in High School and Post-Secondary Success: An Evaluation and Cost Analysis. (2020). Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness.

  • Applied Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: What to Take and What to Leave from the Academic Literature. (2020). Invited to lead workshop at the Harvard Strategic Data Project Annual Convening.

  • How to Produce Actionable Evidence when Conducting Program Evaluations. (2019). Lead roundtable discussion at the Harvard Strategic Data Project Annual Convening.

  • In-School Arts Education and Academic Achievement: A Child Fixed Effects Approach. (2019). Arts Education Policy Review.

  • Arts Education and Academic Achievement: A Three-Level Hierarchical Linear Modeling Approach. (2018). Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting.